Fowler takes on new, important role

Before sunrise one morning this week, Bo Fowler and Brian Mimbs got away from it all.

The Georgia teammates escaped to do something that they love as much as playing football. They went hunting in Union Point on Fowler's 1,000-acre family farm.

"Best place on Earth," Fowler said.

Fowler's aim with a hunting rifle isn't all he's had to concern himself with leading up to the Jan. 1 Sugar Bowl against Hawaii.

He'll make his debut as Georgia's long snapper, hoping to deliver the ball on the money to Mimbs before a Superdome crowd of at least 72,000 and a Fox national television audience.

"I've just been preparing for it the same way ever since I got here," Fowler said. "It's just stepping into the role, not really changing anything for me really."

Fowler joined Georgia as a walk-on from nearby Greene County High School, where he snapped the ball to current Georgia Tech quarterback Josh Nesbitt.

The junior took over as the snapper on field goals and extra points during the Ole Miss game and moved into the first-team role the next week against Tennessee and has held the job since.

Fowler was thrust into snapping on punts because Jeff Henson is serving a suspension following a DUI arrest.

"You've got to put a lot more force," Fowler said of punt snapping. "It's a different angle, a different stance. The field goal snap is just a short, explosive snap."

"He's capable," coach Mark Richt said. "A very good snapper. Henson was a little bit ahead because he would block a little better and cover a little better, but they both snapped pretty good."

Fowler and Mimbs aren't just deer hunting and fishing buddies, but are roommates just off campus.

"They're two country boys," said Georgia assistant coach Dave Johnson, who oversees the punters and snappers.

"We know each other pretty well and I've let him know that I'm going to do everything I can to help him and just try to give him encouragement," Mimbs said. "It's a big game and he's been snapping field goals all year long so it's not like it's his first time stepping into a game. This is definitely a chance where we've got to hone in where we go into the game with a lot of confidence."

The snap is key for the operation time of the punt team, said Mikey Henderson, a gunner on the unit.

"That's what makes or breaks a punt team," Henderson said. "The guys are going to hold them up, but guys are coming full speed. If a guy's coming free and they can get it off in a good time, there's not physically enough time for a guy to get back there."

Fowler has gotten work during practices and scrimmages all season and the operation time in practice has been very good, said Johnson.

Once Georgia gets off the punt, it will still have to contend with a Hawaii team that is 11th in the nation on punt returns with a 13.8 yard average, but Johnson thinks the change in long snapper will be smooth.

"It's not going to be a whole lot of difference," Johnson said. "He understands the system. He's been in it long enough. It shouldn't be that big a deal."

Notes: Florida A&M has asked for permission to speak to Georgia wide receivers coach about its vacant head coaching position but Eason hasn't spoken to school officials, he said through an athletic department spokesman Thursday afternoon.

Eason, the Bulldogs associate head coach, was a standout receiver and punter for Florida A&M from 1966-68 and holds bachelors and masters degree from the Tallahassee, Fla. school.

Grambling coach Rod Broadway turned down an offer to coach Florida A&M, according to the Monroe (La.) News Star. Eason, 62, has been on Richt's staff for all seven seasons. Florida A&M fired third-year coach Rubin Carter last month after a 3-8 season.

...Georgia avoided any hits on its roster for the bowl game because of academics, Richt said after getting the final report on grades for the semester during the start of Thursday's practice. "Everybody's going, everybody's in, it's awesome," Richt said. "It fired me up."

...The Bulldogs wrap up their bowl practices on campus this morning before reconvening on Dec. 26 in New Orleans.